Ralph I of Vermandois ( French: ''Raoul I^er'') (d. 14 October 1152) was

Count of Vermandois The count of Vermandois was the ruler of the county of Vermandois. Beneficiary counts of Vermandois * Leodegar, Count of Vermandois (c. 484). * Emerannus (c. 511), son of previous. * Wagon I (c. 550). * Wagon II (c. 600), son of previous. * Gar ...

. He was a son of Hugh, Count of Vermandois and his wife,

Adelaide, Countess of Vermandois Adelaide of Vermandois (died 23 September 1120) was ''suo jure'' List of counts of Vermandois, Countess of Vermandois and Count of Valois, Valois from 1080 to 1102. She was the last landed ruler of the Carolingian dynasty. Adelaide was the daught ...

. Ralph was a grandson of

Henry I of France Henry I (4 May 1008 – 4 August 1060) was King of the Franks from 1031 to 1060. The royal demesne of France reached its smallest size during his reign, and for this reason he is often seen as emblematic of the weakness of the early Capetians. ...

, while Ralph's mother had been the Carolingian heiress to Herbert IV, Count of Vermandois. Ralph's paternal uncle was

Philip I of France Philip I ( – 29 July 1108), called the Amorous (French: ''L’Amoureux''), was King of the Franks from 1060 to 1108. His reign, like that of most of the early Capetians, was extraordinarily long for the time. The monarchy began a modest recove ...

. Through him Ralph was a first cousin of

Louis VI of France Louis VI (1 December 1081 – 1 August 1137), called the Fat () or the Fighter (), was List of French monarchs, King of the Franks from 1108 to 1137. Like his father Philip I of France, Philip I, Louis made a lasting contribution to centralizing ...

and a first cousin once removed of

Louis VII of France Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger or the Young () to differentiate him from his father Louis VI, was King of France from 1137 to 1180. His first marriage was to Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and ...

. Ralph served as the seneschal of France during the reign of Louis VI. Under pressure from the queen,

Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor of Aquitaine ( or ; ; , or ; – 1 April 1204) was Duchess of Aquitaine from 1137 to 1204, Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the wife of King Louis VII, and Queen of England from 1154 to 1189 as the wife of King Henry II. As ...

, Louis allowed Ralph to repudiate his wife, Eleanor of Champagne, sister of

Stephen, King of England Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne ''jure uxoris'' from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 ...

, in favor of Eleanor of Aquitaine's sister, Petronilla of Aquitaine. This led to a war with Theobald II of Champagne, who was the brother of Ralph's first wife Eleanor. The war lasted two years (1142–44) and ended with the occupation of

Champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

by the royal army. Ralph and Petronilla were excommunicated by

Pope Innocent II Pope Innocent II (; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as Pope was controversial, and the first eight years o ...

for a marriage deemed illegitimate, overriding three bishops who had already annulled Ralph's prior marriage. With Eleanor's death in 1147, the following year

Pope Eugene III Pope Eugene III (; c. 1080 – 8 July 1153), born Bernardo Pignatelli, or possibly Paganelli, called Bernardo da Pisa, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1145 to his death in 1153. He was the first Cist ...

, legitimized the marriage at the Council of Reims. Ralph IVermandois

Family and children

Ralph was married three times: 1. in 1125 to

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages">Provençal dialect ...

, daughter of Stephen, Count of Blois. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1140 and she died in 1147. 2. in 1140 to Petronilla of Aquitaine; they had three children: * Elizabeth (or Isabelle) Mabile, countess of Vermandois and Valois (1143–1183), married

Philip I, Count of Flanders Philip I (1143 – 1 August 1191), commonly known as Philip of Alsace, was count of Flanders from 1168 to 1191. During his rule Flanders prospered economically. He took part in two crusades and died of disease in the Holy Land. Count of Flanders ...

; no issue. * Ralph II, count of Vermandois and Valois (1145–1167), was the first husband of Margaret of Lorraine, later

countess of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the c ...

. He died of

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

in 1167 without issue. *

, countess of Vermandois and Valois (b. 1148? – d. 1213/1214). She married four times as follows, but had no issue: **1. Godfrey of Hainaut, Count of Ostervant (d. 1163). **2. before 1167 William IV, Count of Nevers. **3. ca 1170 Matthew of Alsace. **4. ca 1175 Count

Matthew III of Beaumont-sur-Oise Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chinese Elm ''Ulmus parvifolia'' Christianity * Matthew the Apostle, one of ...

. 3. in 1152 with Laurette of Flanders, daughter of Thierry, Count of Flanders and Swanhilde. They had no children.

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ralph I, Count of Vermandois Capetian House of Vermandois 1152 deaths Counts of Vermandois People excommunicated by the Catholic Church French Roman Catholics